What's Meant to be Will Always Find A Way
by Pharaohsprincess2015
Summary: You often meet your fate on the road you take to avoid it... Princess Ashlan never asked for a life of wealth and importance and she most definitely never asked for an arranged marriage... Terrible Summary - FEM JOEY, RYOU & MALIK
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from Yu-Gi-Oh in this story. I do own Princess Ashlan.

 _Thoughts will be written in Italics_

"Verbal Conversation will be in Quotes"

AN – I have written and posted this story before but I was unhappy with it, thus leading to me not updating it. I have deleted the original and am re-posting it as I have always enjoyed the bones of this story but wasn't liking where it was heading the first time a wrote it. I hope you enjoy my new version.

Prologue

 **Chapter 1**  
5000 years ago is where our story begins, in a small kingdom located on the coast of Greece, ruled by King Alexander and Queen Layla. The kingdom was prosperous and overflowing with happiness and has been at peace for over 200 years. However, one day, 17 years ago, something amazing happened that would change the kingdom and the lives of the king and queen forever; a little girl was born and they named her Ashlan. The King and Queen were overjoyed because it was their assumption that they could never have children, after trying and failing for so many years. The kingdom rejoiced for their new-found princess whose beauty was envied by many. The princess was born with brown hair like her mothers, lightly tanned skin and beautiful emerald green eyes, like her father. When she first opened her little eyes, the king and queen were shocked as they had never seen such amazing and beautiful eyes that shined so brightly. Royals and peasants alike came from far and wide so that they could get a glimpse of the princess, as she was, without a doubt, the kingdoms pride and joy. Her beauty was so rare and unheard of that King Alexander chose to keep her hidden away for the most part as he did not want anyone to seek her out to try and take her.

Ashlan Alexandria Leon never thought that her beauty and smiling personality would one day be the cause of such sorrow and destruction.

~ 17 Years Later ~

"Ashlan!" _Where on earth is that girl! I am getting far too old for this._ "Ashlan!" The King had been searching for the young princess for over an hour with no luck. Tired and frustrated, the king was very close to giving up. However, just as King Alexander was about to admit defeat, Joey, Ashlan's trusted bodyguard and closest friend, entered the garden.

"Joey! Have you seen Ashlan anywhere lately? I have been searching for her for what seems like hours and cannot seem to find her. I swear, that girl needs to start growing up and taking her responsibilities as princess seriously… (Sigh)…. Joey, if you see her please tell her that her mother and I are looking for her as we need to discuss her future and this kingdom's future along with it." With that, the King took his leave and left finding his daughter in the capable hands of his adopted daughter, Josephine.

"You can count on me your majesty" proclaimed Joey in a very assertive and commanding tone. Joey paused for a mere minute while she waited until she knew the king would be out of ear-shot of the garden and then she yelled.

"Ash! I know that you are here! Come on out. Your father is gone now" Yelled Joey as she craned her neck looking up into the nearest tree, knowing that the princess would be up there somewhere. All Joey heard next was rustling of leaves and giggling from one of the trees in the far-right corner of the garden.

"Ash….? Come on down. What are you doing up in the tree?"

"It was the only place that I knew father would never think to look" said Ashlan as she slid down out of the tree, landing gracefully on the ground without a scratch. The princess still had all the beautiful qualities that she had as a child but no, far-more grownup. The princess had obviously grown a considerable amount but was still considered to be quite short, standing at about 5"3. Her lightly-tanned skin, that was not as dark as her comrades or her parents, was flawless and smooth. The princess's brown hair now fell down, in natural waves, to the small of her back. Her hair had also lightened from the sun over the years giving her natural blonde highlights throughout, making it shine in the morning sun. Her eyes still held a gleam that could only compare to rarest of emeralds. She hardly wore any makeup as she did not need to but she did lightly outline her eyes with a small amount of kohl. Her outfit consisted of an aqua blue, two-piece shear, chiffon skirt and a matching top that showed a small amount of her midriff. There were small gold details on the edge of the skirt and on the upper rim of her top. She was also adorned with gold arm bands on each arm and a gold circlet around her head to signify her status. She was a beauty to behold and no other in the kingdom could compare.

"Why are you hiding from him? You love your father and have never gone out of your way to disobey him. Your father loves you and has always looked out for your best interests." Joey asked, still puzzled as to why the princess was going out of her way to avoid her father.

"I know…. But the only thing we ever seem to talk about lately is how I am at the age where I should be seeking audiences with eligible men to find a future husband, so that I can make alliances and bear children and become a woman and blah, blah, blah…. I'm sick of being pushed to marry someone that is only after my wealth and beauty!…. I'm sorry Joey… I just want to fall in love on my own time… It does not help that my father and mother have been pushing that Lord Dartz guy in my face lately…. I mean, I'm sure he is a wonderful man but I can't help feeling that he is not interested in me as a person, he is just interested in my title… You're so lucky Joey! You have no responsibilities to this kingdom and you get to marry for love." She said softly, ending with a sigh. Ashlan raised her face to the sky just in time to notice two birds flying by, intertwining their wings; flying together in perfect harmony… _Even the birds get to fall in love_ …. "I wish I wasn't the princess anymore…. It's not fair" scoffed Ashlan, crossing her arms against her chest.

Joey felt bad for her best friend. They had known each other ever since she could remember. It was Ash who introduced her to the King and it was Ash who convinced the King and Queen to take her in as their own when they found out that her parents were killed when some thieves raided her village. Ash was out shopping in the village when they first met. Joey tried to steal one of the princess's bracelets but she caught her, but instead of the princess getting mad she decided to give Joey the bracelet to help her. Eventually the two girls became very close and Ash began to worry about Joey's safety so she went to her father and asked if Joey could stay in the palace. The King was apprehensive at first but soon decided that what his daughter needed was a friend and Joey was a beautiful young girl who just needed a good place to grow up. The King and Queen knew that, if given the chance, Josephine could grow up to be a wonderful young woman who would stick by their daughter's side like the sibling they could never give her.

Joey did grow up to be an amazing friend and ally. Joey was a lot more adventurous than Ashlan and she always seemed to go out of her way to cause trouble. She was strong, both physically and mentally. The King noticed this quite quickly and decided that it would be best to have Josephine take out some of her anger and energy into studying battle. Joey turned out to be one of the best soldiers in their militia but the King and Queen thought that the best place to keep Joey would be at their daughter's side as a friend and also as a body guard. Queen Layla never felt right about having the male soldiers being in such close proximities to her daughter so having Joey there was the next best thing. Joey's combat skills grew and developed over the years but so did her appearance. Joey was only one year older than Ashlan but looked quite a bit older. While the princess looked years younger than she actually was, Joey had a hardened appearance to her that made her seem much older than she actually was. Joey stood quite tall at 5"11. She had lightly tanned skin that accentuated her toned muscles from all her combat training. Joey had sandy blonde, curly hair that reached down to her butt. Joey always adorned her eyes with a bit of Kohl to accentuate her honey brown eyes. Joey hated that most of the women in the kingdom were made to wear skirts so she instead opted to wear a slim fitting pair of pants with a skirt that draped over top. Her top consisted of a strapless armour top which was both stylish and helpful in combat situations as it protected her more. She also had a belt which had her sword strapped to it as she never went anywhere without her sword.

Joey felt bad that she couldn't do anything to help her friend as she also did not like this Dartz guy that was trying to weasel his way into the Royal family.

"I know Ash, I don't like him either… he gives me the creeps. Every time he comes near me or tries to talk to me, I feel like stabbing him in the throat just so I won't have to hear his voice anymore" Joey stopped dead in her tracks once she noticed the open jaw that her friend was now sporting "– I mean – punch him in the face? Yeah, punch him… not stab… punch. All I want to do is punch him in the face whenever he opens his mouth, but hey, maybe you can talk to your parents into maybe looking elsewhere for a husband? I mean, they can't all be like that guy, there has to be some decent guys out there still… right?" Joey knew full well that finding a guy that would love her best friend for what was inside her and not her status would be hard to find but he still wanted to keep her spirits up.

Ashlan gave a huge sigh "I know…. But – "but before the princess could utter another syllable, she heard her mother cry out her name from the palace walls.

"Ashlan!" yelled Queen Layla from the palace balcony. "Get up here right now! Your father and I have some very important matters to discuss".

 _Ugh! Can I not catch a break for once in my life?_ "I will be right up mother! I'll see you around Joey! Maybe you and I, Ryou and Malik could go for a ride later on today? I need to get out of this palace soon or I think I might go crazy!" with a final smile Ash took off towards the throne room where her parents were most-likely impatiently waiting for her.

"See you Ash!" _Wait till she gets there and finds out what it's really about…. I wish I could have told her that her parents have arranged her marriage already with a foreign prince…. At least it's not Dartz…. I wonder what the prince of Egypt will be like…._

With that in mind, Joey heads off to try and find her other friends to maybe plan something to distract their friend from the future she never asked for.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

King Alexander and Queen Layla knew very well that their daughter was not happy with them in their push to find her a suitable husband. They also knew that Ashlan needed someone to rule by her side. The King and Queen knew that their daughter was perfectly capable in ruling the kingdom on her own but they also knew that some people in the kingdom or neighboring kingdoms would not take her seriously enough without a King to rule by her side. They thought by bringing in Dartz it would open up their daughter's mind about meeting someone and possibly thinking about the idea of marriage. However, after having Dartz in their home for over a month they realized that not only was he not good for their daughter but absolutely horrible for their throne. He seemed to only care about becoming King and only showed interest towards their daughter when they were in the room. As soon as they realized that Dartz would not be suitable they sought out other suitors. Many men answered their search but they only seemed to talk about how beautiful the princess was and how much they could do once they were crowned King with all the palace treasures. The King and Queen were becoming desperate. As much as they wanted their daughter to be happy, they needed to look out for their Kingdom as well. They were about to give up until they heard that Pharaoh Aknamkanon was looking for a Bride to wed his eldest son. The arrangement would be perfect. The prince was only a couple of years older than Ashlan and this way they would create an inseparable bond between Greece and Egypt.

"How do you think she will react to the news dear?" asked King Alexander of his lovely wife and queen.

"She definitely will not be happy about this new arrangement but at least we aren't pushing Dartz on her anymore." Answered Queen Layla.

"Yes, that is true, we still need to let the young man know that we no longer want him courting the princess." Added the King.

"Yes, he will also not be happy about that either…. You can tell let him the bad news dear" answers the queen batting her eyelashes at her king.

A smile graced King Alexander's face "You know I can't say no to you dear" said Alexander as he graced a kiss on her forehead lovingly.

Just as the King and Queen finish up their conversation, Ashlan entered the throne room.

"Mother. Father. You wished to see me?" announced Ashlan, who seem to be having troubles staying as serious as she was because she was very close with her parents and hated the idea of fighting with them. Both the king and queen smiled at their daughter

"Yes Dear, please come closer, we have something to discuss." Said the King to his daughter.

"If this has anything to do with that slimy man that you continue to push on me, you have to know that he just wants to marry me to push you off the throne and gain power over our kingdom." Huffed the princess.

"Yes, dear we know." Answered both the King and Queen together as one. Ashlan's face went from a serious glare to absolute shock in one second flat

"You do?! Oh, thank goodness! I was so worried that you were bringing me in here to tell me that you arranged my marriage or something…."

The King and Queen looked at one another with a hint of fear in their eyes. Ash's look of shock was very quickly replaced with fear also …. She became very scared for what was to come next.

"My dear… It is true that we no longer want you to marry Dartz. We see the fault in our decision to try and push him on you. However, that does not mean we were going to give up on finding you a husband…. Your mother and I have found you a husband. The man in question is a young prince who is need of a wife to rule his kingdom with him and give him an heir, he is only two years older than you and –"

"YOU WHAT!" screamed the princess.

"Now my dear, please, we have not even told who the young man is." Said Queen Layla, trying to calm down her furious daughter.

"Save it! I don't want to hear any of it! I can't believe that you would go behind my back like this! I told you I wanted to marry for love! I can't believe you would put the status of this kingdom before your own daughter! You know I could rule this kingdom on my own! I do not need a man by my side! AAGGGHHH!" screamed Ashlan as she ran out of the throne room, ignoring any calls that her parents made to get her attention.

Alexander slumped down into his throne with his hand over his eyes and forehead. "What are we going to do with her? I don't know how to make things better." Sighed the King.

The King and Queen were so wrapped up in what just happened with princess Ashlan that they failed to notice someone else enter the throne room.

"Ahem… King Alexander, Queen Layla. If I may be so inclined to ask, was that just the princess I saw leaving in a bit of a huff? Shall I go and try to comfort her?" asked the noble Lord. This noble Lord was none other than Dartz, the man who had originally been set up to court the princess. Dartz was a very handsome man. He was tall and striking blue hair that reached past his shoulders. He was dressed in the fanciest white linens that were rimmed in light blue, and he also and a blue sash of sorts that fell down in front of his body right in the middle, between his two legs. However, the most striking thing about him was that he had one light blue and one gold. Ashlan found it quite creepy and hated when she found him looking at her. He was quite a bit older than the princess, being 26 years old, and he had married before but his first two brides had mysteriously passed away….

"Ah Dartz, just the person we wanted to see. The princess is just a little upset over some new arrangements made for her future."

 _Arrangements? Future? Finally, these two got it through their thick skulls that I am what is best for their kingdom. I knew if I stuck it out long enough, they would see my side of the story. This was like taking candy from a baby. It helps that their daughter is hot as hell. I mean if I have to marry her and have her by my side at least she's easy on the eyes. I mean I won't have much use for her once I'm king and she produces me an heir. After that I will just take in as many mistresses as I want._ An almost evil smirk graced Dartz's face.

"Ah yes, and what a wonderful future it shall be. I already have a ring ready. She will be the most beautiful bride in all the land."

"We do not doubt that she will be a beautiful bride. However, she will not be _your_ bride." Confirmed Queen Layla. Dartz continued on as though he did not hear a word of what the King and Queen just said.

"The wedding shall be a grand affair! We shall invite the entire kingdom and all the noble men and women and – Wait – What did you just say?"

"We are sorry Dartz but we have found another suitable husband for the princess. We apologize for taking up your precious time but we had to put our kingdom first. We hope there are no hard feelings." Said King Alexander.

"No hard feelings? NO HARD FEELINGS!? I have done everything to court your daughter and show you that I am exactly what this pathetic kingdom needs for a King! It is not my fault that her skull is as thick as a boulder! She doesn't know how good she has it with me! Who on earth would be a better husband for her than me!?" yelled an irate Dartz

"Now Dartz we will not stand by as you talk badly of our kingdom and of our daughter. I will ask you to leave now before we have to force you out" Yelled King Alexander as he stood from his throne, standing up against Dartz. Dartz and the King stared at one another, neither one wanting to back down before the other.

"You will be sorry Alexander. I will make you rue the day you said no to me. Nothing you try to do will stop me from taking your kingdom and your precious princess!" with that, Dartz turned his back on the King and Queen and stormed out of the throne room and out of the palace.

 _I have worked way too hard to see all of this go down the drain just because a spoiled little brat believes in finding true love! Ugh! Alexander will pay…._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"AAGGGHHHH! How could they!" screamed Ashlan as she threw herself onto the garden grass. The bright, warm sun shone down on her as she remained completely still staring up at the big beautiful blue sky. However, Ashlan could not focus on the beauty of the day because all she could think about was this man. All she could think about was this man that was apparently going to be…. her husband!?.

It was these thoughts that brought upon the princess' last straw. Tears began to roll down her cheeks onto her dress, creating small tear stains throughout the fabric of her skirt.

 _This can't be happening…. I'm just now beginning to understand myself and now they want me to marry someone that I know nothing about, let alone ever met…. Is it so wrong for me to want to marry and fall in love on my own time…?_

Ryou Bakura happened to be walking past the garden with her latest scroll when a faint sound of crying could be heard coming from inside the gardens.

 _Hmmmm I wonder where that is coming from?_

Ryou took a quick look around the entrance of the garden and was instantly surprised to see her good friend crying on the ground.

 _Oh no what's wrong with Ash…. I don't think I have ever seen the princess so unhappy before…_

"Hey Ryou! I've been looking for you! Joey was wondering if – "

"Sshhhhhhhh!"

"Did you just shush me!? Um excuse me but – "

"Malik! Be quiet! I don't want to disturb the princess! Something seems to be upsetting her…."

Both Malik and Ryou peered around the corner to try and sneak a peek at their obviously distressed friend. Both Malik and Ryou have been close friends with the princess for a very long time, not as long as Joey, but they still know their friend as well as they know themselves. Ryou was brought into the palace as a small child because of her intellect in the history of Greece and the rest of the world and also her skills in wielding magic. She has become one of the most powerful light magicians around. Ryou also has the uncanny ability to sneak her way around any security put in place. She is quite stealthy when she wants to be. At one-point Ryou was able to apprehend a thief trying to get to the princess to poison her by running in the shadows and completely blindsiding the thief before he even realized he was being followed. Ryou's magic and skills are powerful and sought out by all but all of it does not compare to the young girl's beauty. Ryou has an exotic type of beauty to her. She has very fair skin, so fair that it almost glows when in the moonlight. Ryou also has long white hair that reaches past her butt but most of the time she puts it up into a messy up-do to keep it out of her face while she is reading her scrolls or trying out some of her more powerful spells, she just finds that it gets in the way but refuses to cut it. Her eyes are a deep dark brown color which makes her look very innocent and angelic. Ryou finds herself most of the time wearing a flowing white strapless dress that is shorter in the front and longer in the back with a silver belt to accentuate her tiny waist. She chooses not wear too much jewelry but makes a point of always wearing her silver chain necklace that was given to her by her grandmother. Ryou is the quietest in the group of four girls and tends to be quite shy but when it comes to dangerous situations and looking out for the well-being of her friends, you do not want to mess with her.

Malik entered into the groups' life a little later on in their childhood. Malik was caught by the queen sleeping in the stables. Now, in most cases the queen would have had thrown the intruder out within seconds but young Malik was not just in any stall in the stable. Malik was sleeping in the stall of Lysander, a stallion that would not let anyone near him, let alone ride him. The queen took the next couple days to test her theory of Malik's uncanny ability to work with animals. Queen Layla was right in her theories, as any animal that was put in a room with Malik was instantly subdued and became as silent and calm as a lamb. Malik's skill became very useful when training horses for the army and other wild animals to use as protection or even pets. Malik also proved to be amazing in combat. No one ever wanted to mess with Malik because they knew they were not going to be coming out on top. The only difference between Malik and Joey is the fact that Malik makes a point of not looking like a gross sweaty man when she fights (not that Joey does). Malik thinks that the arte of looking sexy and feminine while still being strong and unstoppable in combat is very important. Malik is originally from Egypt which explains her golden tan skin. Malik has light blonde hair that falls to the middle of her back, which is usually unruly and messy while still looking absolutely amazing. One other thing that makes Malik such a gem in the beauty department are her lilac eyes. Any man who has ever tried anything with Malik has been shot down and reminded to never try again. Malik is also one to stay away from the typical flowing white dress that most women in Greece wear. Instead, Malik wears a tight black bandeau type top that just barely covers her chest, a long black skirt which has a very high slit on the right leg, which Malik claims helps her move in combat. Malik also wears two gold arm bands, a small gold chain that wraps around her midsection and a black band on her right leg where she hides her dagger in case of sticky situations.

Both girls worried for their dear princess and friend who was usually always in such high spirits. Malik began to whisper to her friend.

"What should we do? Do you know what has caused her to be in such a state? I swear if that Dartz guy did anything to our Ash I'll slit his throat."

"Calm yourself Malik. I'm sure there is a valid explanation for this rare occurrence."

As Ryou shifted back to looking at the princes she accidentally kicked a small stone, creating a small disturbance, but enough of a disturbance to notify the princess that she is was no longer alone.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" cried the sniffling princess while trying to compose herself.

The two girls poked their heads around the corner and entered the garden "It's just Malik and I princess, no need to worry."

"Oh… Hi girls…. How are you?" asked the princess, trying her hardest to mask the fact that she had just been crying for the last 10 minutes.

"We are fine…. But we are more concerned for you…. What's going on Ash? Is everything alright?"

"Oh, everything is fine, nothing out of the ordinary here…. Just my parents trying to control my life and making me marry a man that I have never met before so that he can become King and produce him an heir and… and….and…. I just don't know what to do anymore!" the princess cried, finally breaking down into tears, yet again.

The two other girls looked at each other with sadness for their friend. The three were silent for quite a long time but Malik was the first to break the silence.

"Look! The reason why I was coming over was to come grab you and Ryou to go for a ride. Joey is meeting us at the stables. Come on it will be good for you to get out of the palace."

Ashlan took awhile to answer Malik and Ryou's persistent stares but she finally gave into their puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, alright already! Thank you, girls, I don't know what I would do without you…"

The girls headed off to the stables to meet Joey. Just being with her friends and seeing their smiling faces was already putting the princess in better spirits, at least higher spirits than she was five minutes ago.

 **Meanwhile in Egypt….**

"You did WHAT!?" shouted a very irate young prince.

"Atem, please calm yourself. You knew this day was coming. You are 19 years old. I am not getting any younger and I am hoping to pass the crown on to you in the coming years. However, I would feel a lot better about making you Pharaoh if you had a queen by your side to help you in ruling the Kingdom. Plus, having a queen is the only way you can guarantee yourself an heir.

Pharaoh Aknamkanon knew that his son was not going to react well to being told that he had gone ahead and arranged a wife for his son. He was quite pleased with the arrangement made with King Alexander to marry his only daughter, Princess Ashlan. The princess was known by all for her beauty and kindness but the prince would hear nothing of it.

"Father! I am not interested in marrying right now! Plus, when I am ready to find a wife, I want to be sure of it because I do not plan on keeping mistresses."

"You gave me no choice son. You continue to ignore Lady Anzu and Lady Vivian even though they would be perfectly suitable as Queen. You ignore any of the Noble women around the city and any passing princesses that have accompanied their fathers on business you have shunned and ignored. I cannot leave this life not knowing that my son will be married to someone acceptable of the crown! I am sorry son but this is the way it shall be. I have made up my mind. The princess is beautiful and – "

"You're acting as if you're going to die tomorrow Father! I don't care how beautiful she is! Beauty says nothing about a person! What if she is a spoiled brat and we have nothing in common? How am I supposed to spend the rest of my life with someone like that? … You got to marry for love…. Why can't I?"

"I was able to marry for love because I found your mother at a young age. You however, are running out of time. The princess will arrive in two months' time and the wedding will proceed a month later. Until then, you will continue your lessons and ready yourself to take the throne."

"BUT-... Fine…." with that, the young prince leaves his father and the throne room.

 _This is not what I asked for in life…. Why can't I just be pharaoh and not have to give up so much of me to get there…._

 _Maybe the princess will be okay…._

 _Ugh, who am I kidding. She is probably a spoiled brat who only cares about jewelry and her looks just like all the rest of them._

 **Back in Greece….**

"So, do know who the man is that you're supposedly going to marry? What does he look like? Is he sexy? Hopefully he isn't too ugly, that would a real mood killer." Joked Malik.

The girls rode side by side through the streets of the kingdom. The conversation so far had been about the princess's slightly annoying predicament of marrying someone she had never met.

"I didn't even give my parents the chance to tell me his name, let alone ask if he is good looking or not." the princess giggled at her friends' constant thoughts about males and how good looking they were.

"Give Ash a break Malik. How would you feel if you were just told you were to marry someone from a different kingdom that you have never met" yelled Joey.

"I probably wouldn't mind it if he was a sexy prince- "Malik was cut off before she could finish her sentence by a punch to the arm from Joey. Malik threw Joey a menacing glare before realizing her mistake and seeing the sad look on their friends' face. "Sorry Ash…."

Ashlan quickly tried to cover up the foul mood that she was in a put up a happy front for her friends that were trying so hard to make her feel better.

"It's not a problem…. I guess I should have waited around to find out who the guy is… I was just so upset!"

"Don't worry Ash, whatever comes your way next, we will be right by your side through all of it." Ryou stated as the rest of the girls nodded their heads in the princess' direction.

The rest of the ride was spent talking about food, clothes, boys, magic etc. Ashtlan almost forgot about everything that had happened earlier on in the day… almost….

Just as the girls were getting back from their ride, the warning bells rang clear through the kingdom….


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Ryou, Malik and Joey quickly fell into action. This is what Joey had been training for her entire life. Her sword slipped so easily out of its compartment, like it was ready for this exact moment. Joey knew what needed to happen, she just wished that it did not have to be this way.

"Make sure the princess is safe! Keep her hidden! I need to get some things together. Stay in the garden until I come to get you! Malik! Come with me!" Ryou nodded while riding off towards the garden with the princess in tow.

"Joey! What is going on?" asked Malik as the two girls began to run towards the castle, towards the heat of battle… towards the King and Queen.

"I don't really know…. but the King and Queen made sure that if the warning bells were ever to start going off then our first and only objective is to make sure the princess is safe. Go and get the horses ready and get some food and water for the four of us, I have a horrible feeling that we are going to have a long journey ahead of us….. And Malik! Be ready to fight, this is not going to end well. I'm going to see if I can find the King and Queen."

Malik didn't have to say a word. There was a bond and knowledge between the girls that need not words to help understand. With that, Joey continued on towards the throne room and Malik headed off towards the stable.

The stench was almost too much for Joey…. She knew that nothing she was going to come up against was going to be pretty but nothing could have prepared her for what her eyes showed her next… There was a mess of bodies, most of which were the guards, some of the servants who were unlucky enough to be working in that specific wing when the attacks first started. Joey quickly paid her respect for her fallen comrades but knew deep down that if she wanted to help prevent anymore from falling then she needed to get to the throne room as quickly as possible. At that moment Joey looked up from her thoughts to see a guard running down the hall towards her. He was clutching his stomach and had blood running down his forehead, slowly dripping into his eyes, blurring his vision. Joey halted to a stop as soon as she saw the guard and pulled him to the side behind a curtain so that no one could find them.

"What is going on!?" whispers Joey in a tone like steel, grasping onto the guard's robes. The guard was panting quite hard, desperately trying to find his breath. He then looked up at the blonde in front of him.

"Invaders from the Kingdom to the South…. they want…. the royal family as hostages and….. To take the throne… so that they can expand their lands…. And so he… he….," He pauses then says, "It's Dartz…. He's gone mad… he wants to be king…. all I know is it has something to do with the princess and her being promised to someone else? He is on his way to the throne room now!" Joey did not take the time to listen to the last bit of what the guard had to say…

 _I have to get to Alexander and Layla and quickly!_ Joey took off running as fast as humanly possible. Her only saving grace was going to be that fact that she knew the shortcuts to get her to the throne room…. And hopefully before Dartz. _I just hope I'm not too late….._

When Joey finally made it to the throne room the King and Queen were seated at their throne. The King and Queen did not seem to be worried about their current situation in the slightest.

 _How can they be this calm? Their kingdom is falling to ruins and they are just sitting there!_

"My King. My Queen. The Kingdom is falling apart! What is going on?" yelled Joey.

"Josephine, darling, we are so happy you are alright!" cried Queen Layla as she grabbed Joey in a large hug.

"Joey….. Dartz did not take us telling him that Ashlan would be marrying someone else very well….he is now trying another approach, a much more violent approach to gaining the crown. Look…. He cannot become king without marrying Ashlan. He may be able to get rid of myself and Layla but without the princess the kingdom will never accept him as their King. There will be riots and he will be ruling over a desolate, distraught kingdom that will never prosper."

Everything was happening so quickly. It was beginning to become all a blur…That's when they heard it.

 **BANG! BANG! BANG!**

"That must be Dartz. He has finally made his way to the throne room… You must move quickly Joey! Please take care of our daughter…. I do not know what Dartz has planned for us but as long as he never gets his hands on Ashlan, we can both rest easy knowing that she is safe and Dartz will never get …. Take her to Egypt and take this letter to the pharaoh. Everything is explained in there. Read it and please go with what it says… The pharaoh will give you refuge and will keep you safe and hidden. No one must know Ashlan's true identity. She was not to arrive for another couple months so we will use it as an excuse to send you girls to prepare for her arrival. No one will think anything of i-

 **BANG! BANG! BANG!**

"Quickly Joey! They will be through those doors in seconds!" cried the King.

"But! -"

"Just go! Do not worry about us!"

Joey was conflicted. Alexander and Layla were like parents to her…. They practically raised her…. But she knew that her duty was to protect the princess, her friend, her sister….

"I will do my best. No harm will come to Ash."

And with that Joey rushed off from where she came and snuck into the passage just as the throne room's large entrance doors flew open….

"Well, well, well… What do we have here?" mocked Dartz. His pleasant and polite demeanour completely wiped away and replaced with an evil glint in his eye and a smirk that would make anyone cringe.

"Dartz…. What have you done?! Why are you doing this? What have we ever done to you to make you do this to us, to our kingdom?" asked Queen Layla.

"Ah, what a wonderful question…. All in due time your highness…. Now, where is that lovely daughter of yours?" ….

 **Meanwhile….**

"MALIK!? Malik?! Where are you!?" screamed Joey. It took her mere minutes to make her way over to the stables where Malik was supposed to be getting everything prepared for their journey.

"Joey calm down! I am right here!" Malik whispered as she popped her head around the corner leading two horses, her own, which was a light sand coloured palomino, and Joey's, a large black stallion with wild hair that reached well past its neck, cascading over its one eye. The horses had saddle bags full of food and rations to hold the girls over for a couple of weeks.

"Good, Good. We need to get going. It won't take Dartz long to realize that we have taken Ashlan out of the kingdom. Let's go get them. Here, catch!" called Joey as she mounted her horse and threw Malik a dark, purple, hooded robe. "Put this on as soon as you can so that it's harder for people to recognize us."

The two girls rode over towards the garden to pick up the other half of their convoy, Joey just hoped that she wasn't too late.

 _Where are Joey and Malik? I don't know how much longer I can wait here and do nothing to help…_ Ashlan was never good at sitting still and doing nothing but people always tended to believe that she needed protecting and would never be able to stick up for herself.

"Quit worrying Ash. Joey and Malik should be here right away and Joey will know what to do."

"I know, I am just worried that something happened to them…. And what about my parents? Where are they? Are they okay?" asked the princess.

"I don't know any more than you do but I'm sure everything is under control."

Before Ryou could finish the next part of her sentence she heard thundering hooves getting louder and louder making its way towards the two girls who were currently cowering behind one of the tallest bushes in the garden which easily concealed them and their horses. Both of the horses were calm and collected and stayed hidden quite well along with the girls. Ryou had a grey and white speckled horse and with a little bit of Ryou's magic, a light blue streak had been placed throughout the horses' mane. The princess' horse was a beautiful brown and white paint mare with a long flowing white mane and her name was 'Star'. Ash had been gifted Star when she turned 15 as a birthday present. She had been riding from a very young age but it had always been on her parent's horse and never her own, until Star came along. Needless to say, the horses stayed quiet and were quite well trained.

"Ashlan! Ryou! The coast is clear! Come one we have to get going! The rest of Dartz' men could be here any minute" cried Joey who was desperately trying to be as quiet as possible while still getting the other girl's attention.

"Wait! Where are my parents?!" cried the Ashlan.

"Your parents are holding off Dartz in the throne room. They are distracting him so that you can get away. Dartz is after you so that he can marry you and take over the kingdom and we cannot allow that to happen so we must go now!"

 _But what about my parents…. The last time I saw them I was yelling at them and basically telling them that I hate them and that they are the worst parents ever…_ That's when Ashlan lost it. She could not hold in the tears any longer.

"I know this is hard Ash. No one could have seen this coming. But we have to move. Getting you as far away from this place as possible is the best thing for both the kingdom and your parents."

Ashlan wiped some of the tears off her face looking up at her three friends who had painful looks in their eyes but also a look of determination and love. _These girls are willing to do anything to help me and keep me safe… I need to pull myself together and do my part… be responsible for once in my life…._ Ashlan wiped the remaining of her tears away and mounted Star.

"Alright, let's get out of here."

"First, put this on… all of you." Said Joey while throwing Ryou and Ashlan both cloaks which resembled the same one Malik and Joey had one except where Joey's was red and Malik's was purple, Ryou had a solid white cloak and Ashlan's was a pale blue.

"Oh, and before we go, Ash? I need to remove your crown… we don't want to draw any attention to ourselves where we will be going alright? I promise I will keep it safe."

All Ashlan did was nod and quickly slip the circlet off and hand it to Joey.

"Thank you, Joey, now let's go."

The girl's horses reared up as the galloped off out of the garden and headed towards the outskirts of the city. It was a long way to Egypt and it would take quite a long time to get there. The journey would not be easy but the more distance put between them and Dartz, the better.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Atem was livid. Enough was enough. He was sick and tired of these suitors. Day in and day out, his father, the Pharaoh, forced him to sit in court as he had women prance in and out on fine platters like they were dinner entrées. They flaunted themselves, tried to seduce him, and did everything in their power to try and win him over. But Atem didn't care. It was bad enough he had to constantly deal with lady Anzu and Lady Vivian prancing around the palace like they owned the place. Lady Anzu wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't for her father pushing her on him every second of the day. At first, he gave each woman the benefit of the doubt. He would spend time with them and learn about them. But eventually, each woman turned out to be the same thing; a heartless creature who only offered herself to gain money or power. Or money _and_ power. Some even wanted to marry him just because of his attractiveness. That was the worst of all. Atem hated it and now his father wasn't giving him anymore choice…..

 _Now I am to marry some foreign princess that I have never met. She is probably exactly like all the rest of them; beautiful on the outside and completely rotten on the inside. How can my father ever think that this woman is right me and this kingdom?_

Atem was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that as he was walking through the halls of the palace, he failed to notice that he was about to run into someone.

"OOOF!"

"Hey! Watch where you're go—Oh Atem! What the hell man? Just cause you're the prince doesn't mean you don't have to look where you're going." Cried an irate Bakura, who would most likely have some nasty bruising from the fall that just occurred.

"Ugh" groaned Atem as he rubbed the side of his head as his head was down when he ran into the unexpecting Bakura.

"Yeah! Don't think that just because you're the crowned prince I won't sock you one."

And Marik…

"Sorry boys… I wasn't watching where I was going… My mind was occupied elsewhere." Answered Atem.

The three young men helped one another up off the hard, jagged, stone flooring. The three young men had been close friends for quite some time. Although they did not start on such great circumstances, they grew to become quite close; almost like brothers. Atem first met Marik when they were quite young. Marik came to the palace with his older sister Isis as she was working towards being a priestess in training and hopefully later becoming a full-fledged priestess to the pharaoh. Atem did not have any brothers or sisters as his father and mother were unable to bear any more children after Atem. Thus, Atem had a pretty lonely childhood until Marik showed up. Marik was one of Atem's first friends besides his cousin Seto. The two met and instantly became friends, and not just because they were two of the only young children in the palace. As the two grew their differences became more evident but it never changed their friendship. Where Atem became more interested in games and his magic lessons and combat, Marik found an interest in women. Marik was a very good-looking man. His bronzed skin with platinum blonde hair that reached just past his shoulders left most women gawking. He was also quite muscular, as he trained the army and was captain of the guard. Most of the time Marik chose to wear only a white tunic to cover his lower half and bare his muscular chest. However, he would always make up for the lack of shirt with a heft amount of jewelry; donning a large gold necklace the width of his chest, two gold arm bands, earrings and gold bands around his calf muscles. Ask anyone and they would tell you that the most striking thing about Marik was his piercing violet eyes. It was those eyes that landed him so many women in his bed after a long day of training. Even with all his faults, Marik was loyal to the throne and his friend Atem. Atem only wondered if Marik would ever grow up and settle down. Atem also wondered about Bakura from time to time. All three young men had yet to find women that made them head over heels crazy or at least enough to make them give up their ludacris antics.

Bakura was definitely no closer than the other two men but he also didn't even seem like he was trying. Bakura is a strong silent type. Bakura was caught by the royal guards trying to steal some precious jewels from the pharaoh. The pharaoh was not impressed and had him sent to the prison to later be judged and most likely killed for his crimes. Atem witnessed the entire thing and thought that the boy was probably just hungry and did not have any money. The night that Bakura was sentenced a young prince Atem snuck down into the dungeon and released Bakura on the condition that he disguise himself and become his personal servant until it was the right time to reveal himself again. Bakura worked alongside Atem for a couple years till they were about 12 years old. However, everything changed one day when an assassination attempt was made on the pharaoh but instead of the arrow piercing through his heart it only hit the back wall as Bakura had already pushed the pharaoh out of harm's way. Atem later told his father what he had done and at first Aknamkanon was not happy but he soon realized that if the boy had been killed all those years ago, he would not have been here today to save his life. Bakura was finally able to be rid of his disguise and became Atem's right hand man. Bakura grew into a powerful magician and was able to conjure many spells that other magicians would never dream of. Bakura also could never seem to get rid of his need/want to steal things. Atem once walked into Bakura's room to find most of the crown jewels sprawled across the tiled floor. Bakura knew what he had done was wrong but it was at that moment when the pharaoh decided to not only have Bakura continue his studies in magic but also become head of the scouting/infiltration group. Basically, Bakura was in charge of a group of men and women whose job was to infiltrate other cities or even thief's hideouts and get as much information as possible without being caught. Bakura also grew to be very handsome along with the other two men. Bakura has long white hair that falls in front of his from time to time. His skin was not as tan as Marik's or Atem's but there was still some bronze coloring there. Bakura was tall though, not as tall as Seto but taller than Marik and Atem, which made him look even more handsome. He was toned and muscular but still lean which made him fast and agile in sticky situations. Many women pined over Bakura but he never gave them a second glance. Bakura could never understand the loud and obnoxious gossiping over absolutely nothing of importance. He was fine with women speaking their mind but when all it had to do with was make-up or hair or handsome men, then he would completely snub them. Bakura wore white and blue robes that were tied at the waist with a black belt of sorts. He did not like to wear too much jewelry but he does wear the millennium ring. After Mahad was killed in an attack earlier on in the year while protecting the prince, the millennium ring chose a new owner and that was Bakura. Thus, Bakura also became a part of the pharaoh's advisors.

Atem counted himself quite lucky to have a group of close friends. He grew up as an only child and friends were hard to come by then. Although they were caring, they still treated him like a normal human being, instead of the crown prince, which was a relief most of the time but sometimes he wished they treated him like the prince when Atem happened to anger one of his friends and he wished not to be at the brunt of their anger.

"Well that's no excuse. I am going to be bruised for weeks after that crash…. Ugh…. Well what was your mind occupied on now that we are on the topic we might as well get it out there." Asked Marik while he continued to dust himself off from the fall.

Atem was unsure of whether or not to tell Bakura and Marik about his latest dilemma…. _Oh well might as well, I'm sure these two would find out sooner or later._

Atem let out a lengthy sigh before beginning his explanations.

"The pharaoh just informed me that he has chosen a bride for me, that he is not giving me anymore time to choose for myself and that she will be here in two months' time."

Atem's explanation was met with silence and stares from both Bakura and Marik. Almost in sync both young men looked at each other and burst out into a fit of laughter. Atem's jaw dropped as he watched his so-called friends roll on the floor in laughter. _Are you kidding me right now?_

"Hahahahaha…ha ah… I'm sorry Atem…. Guess you should have considered those other suitors when you had the chance."

"Wow, thanks guys, I really appreciate the compassion."

"Sorry Atem, haha…. It's just, I never thought the amazing Atem would be tied down by a woman. Is she at least good looking? I mean, if she's hot, I wouldn't min –"

"Marik! Really?... To answer your question, I don't know what she looks likes. I could care less what she looks like. All I know is that she is a foreign princess and the arrangement was made between our fathers." answered Atem.

"Well where is she from?"

"I'm not even sure. I left before giving my father the chance to tell me." _There is nothing he could have said to me to change my mind anyways_ "I just know that she is going to be like all the rest of them, except this time…. I have to marry her."

"Well you never know… she could be nice….."

"Wow! You sound so convincing Marik, I almost started to believe in what you were saying. And what do you guys know about this? Neither one of you are tied down to a woman. Neither one of you are being forced to marry someone you don't love let alone even met before."

"Well I wish I could say I feel for you but…. Sucks to be you your highness." Chuckled Bakura.

"Well you two were a huge help… Thank you so much!" yelled Atem as he began to storm off away from hi two laughing friends.

"Hopefully she will be hot! That's all we can hope for you!" yelled Bakura as the two snickered together at the unfortunate situation of their closest friend.

The three went off their separate ways thinking that there was no way that they would ever settle down or find a woman that could ever get them to give up their ways, little did they know, change was headed their way.


End file.
